HelpFinder Bible - Flipbook - Page 970
SONG OF SONGS 6
7
8
My heart sank.
I searched for him
but could not find him anywhere.
I called to him,
but there was no reply.
The night watchmen found me
as they made their rounds.
They beat and bruised me
and stripped off my veil,
those watchmen on the walls.
Make this promise, O women of
Jerusalem—
If you find my lover,
tell him I am weak with love.
Young Women of Jerusalem
9 Why is your lover better than all others,
O woman of rare beauty?
What makes your lover so special
that we must promise this?
Young Woman
10 My lover is dark and dazzling,
better than ten thousand others!
11 His head is finest gold,
his wavy hair is black as a raven.
12 His eyes sparkle like doves
beside springs of water;
they are set like jewels
washed in milk.
13 His cheeks are like gardens of spices
giving off fragrance.
His lips are like lilies,
perfumed with myrrh.
14 His arms are like rounded bars of gold,
set with beryl.
His body is like bright ivory,
• Sexuality
page 600
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16
Young Women of Jerusalem
1 Where has your lover gone,
O woman of rare beauty?
Which way did he turn
so we can help you find him?
6
Young Woman
2 My lover has gone down to his garden,
to his spice beds,
to browse in the gardens
and gather the lilies.
3 I am my lover’s, and my lover is mine.
He browses among the lilies.
Young Man
4 You are beautiful, my darling,
like the lovely city of Tirzah.
Yes, as beautiful as Jerusalem,
as majestic as an army with billowing
banners.
5 Turn your eyes away,
for they overpower me.
Your hair falls in waves,
like a flock of goats winding down the
slopes of Gilead.
6 Your teeth are as white as sheep
that are freshly washed.
Your smile is flawless,
each tooth matched with its twin.*
7 Your cheeks are like rosy pomegranates
behind your veil.
8
SO NG O F S O NG S 5 :2 -8
Even the strongest marriages lose some
of their initial passion as time passes and
outside pressures interfere. Although a
husband and wife love each other and
continue in the habits of life together,
the old excitement and interest have
decreased. In this passage, we see a
couple struggling with this very situation.
One person tries to initiate intimacy, the
other is slow to respond, and then the
first one gives up and leaves. We need
to be careful not to allow children, jobs,
other people, and hobbies to distract our
attention from the intimacy that keeps
marriage bonds strong. How long has it
been since you and your spouse stoked
the fires of sexual passion?
glowing with lapis lazuli.
His legs are like marble pillars
set in sockets of finest gold.
His posture is stately,
like the noble cedars of Lebanon.
His mouth is sweetness itself;
he is desirable in every way.
Such, O women of Jerusalem,
is my lover, my friend.
9
10
Even among sixty queens
and eighty concubines
and countless young women,
I would still choose my dove, my perfect
one—
the favorite of her mother,
dearly loved by the one who bore her.
The young women see her and praise her;
even queens and royal concubines sing
her praises:
“Who is this, arising like the dawn,
as fair as the moon,
as bright as the sun,
as majestic as an army with billowing
banners?”
Young Woman
I went down to the grove of walnut trees
and out to the valley to see the new
spring growth,
11
6:6 Hebrew Not one is missing; each has a twin.